Football Freestyle Champion Lia Lewis Overcame Her Skin Insecurities to Pursue Her Passion — Here's How She's Empowering Others

More than one third of women don’t want to participate in sport because they're worried about the way their skin looks, and more than one fourth of women have stopped playing a sport altogether because they were anxious about their appearance. Let those numbers sink in.

The research, conducted earlier this summer by Venus, surveyed 2,000 women aged 18 to 45 in the UK. The results paint an alarming correlation between skin-consciousness and lack of participation in physical activity.

Whether it's a pimple before a first date or a scar in a prominent place, skin insecurities are experienced by many women. But these insecurities can be more than a moment of unease: they can interfere with everyday life, hold someone back, and make someone feel less than. Bottom line: there's a lot of work to be done.

A big part of that work is shifting perceptions and uplifting people who are comfortable getting real about insecurities that are, unfortunately, the norm. Freestyle football champion and Venus ambassador Lia Lewis has been on a long journey with her skin, and over the course of that journey, she's learned to battle her scars, rashes, and bruising while participating in the sport she loves. She knows that feeling comfortable in your own skin is easier said than done (30 percent of women surveyed said they don't feel confident in their skin), which is why she's part of Venus’ #MoveYourSkin campaign this summer, empowering women and girls to play confidently — rolls, bumps, scars, hairs, and all.

Before Lewis became a professional freestyler, she was a dancer. She spent years training, even graduating from a ballet and contemporary-dance conservatoire. Freestyle football combines the art of acrobatics with dance (in order to juggle and perform tricks with a football), but Lewis still had a lot of learning to do. "When I bought my first football at 21, I had to start from zero,” she says. Now, she credits her creative edge as a freestyler to her dance background — it allows her to stand out from the rest. In 2021, she achieved her dream of becoming the freestyle football World Champion at the Redbull Street Style World Championships.

"What initially drew me to freestyle football was the ability to be independent and learn something new," Lewis says. "Freestyle is a difficult sport with endless challenges, but I knew that if I worked hard enough and was creative, I could be successful. Nothing was going to stop me."

When she discovered freestyle football in 2018, there were only three girls in the UK who did it professionally. Knowing that lit a fire in Lewis. Using social media, she made it her mission to bring attention to the sport and inspire other women and girls to give it a try. "I want women to know that the sport isn't just for men," Lewis says. “Everyone has the same amount of chances of becoming successful. That's the beauty of freestyle football — you can achieve anything you want, if you put your mind to it."

For Lewis, being an athlete means having a rigorous mentality while also maintaining a healthy balance of training and resting. "I've realised how important taking care of my mind and body is, so my physical and mental health is always a priority," she says. A big part of that means practising self-care and making sure she feels strong and confident from the inside out.

Almost half of the women surveyed in the Venus Skin-Consciousness Study said that they're worried others will comment on their imperfections if they play sports in public. While Lewis has most certainly felt this way, she's learned to channel that energy into improving her skills and becoming a better athlete.

"My priority is focusing on achieving my career goals, so I tend not to be too hard on myself when it comes to my skin," she says. "I believe people will remember you for your accomplishments, not your scars — so it's important that I stay focused on growing and improving every day."

It's the same advice she offers to other women struggling with skin insecurities. "Embrace being yourself, and don't let anyone change you," Lewis says. "Nothing is more powerful than self-belief and confidence."

While many women feel discouraged from participating in sport due to their appearance, athletics can help them gain the self assurance they're lacking. Like many athletes, Lewis owes much of her confidence to her passion: freestyle football. "I have come to realise that my appearance is the least interesting aspect about me," she says. "What I care the most about and what people will remember are my career achievements and accomplishments in sports."

In addition to changing her mindset, Lewis also adjusted her skin-care routine. She researched and tried various products, landing on solutions that worked best for her. For example, after every training session, she rubs aloe on her legs to protect them from rashes and soothe any redness or discomfort. "Freestyle football has made me aware of how important it is to take care of my skin," Lewis says. "I now love including skin care as part of my daily routine."

Lewis believes that knowledge is power, especially when it comes to caring for your skin. She advises others not to ignore the problem if they think their skin is hindering their performance. "Believe in yourself, and don't let anything come in the way of achieving your goals," she says. "If anything, it's cool to be different and stand out from the crowd. You deserve to follow your passions and enjoy every moment of training."

Lewis's favourite thing about freestyle football is how the sport allows her to push her limits and surprise herself, and she loves that it's given her the opportunity to become a positive role model for other women.

"Feeling comfortable in our own skin means accepting who we are," she says. "I want to reinforce that nobody is perfect, so instead of seeking perfection, try focusing on yourself and looking after your mind and body as best as you can."

Venus's new campaign, "Move Your Skin," is encouraging women to do just that. The brand believes we should celebrate women's bodies for what they can do, not comment on how they look. It wants to help change the narrative and show what real skin in sport looks like, working with women to feel more confident when moving in their own skin. After all, according to their research, more than half of women feel that there aren't enough well-known role models or people that they can relate to in sports, compared to industries like fashion, music, and beauty.

"Move Your Skin" is also working to expand Venus's existing work with the youth education charity, Football Beyond Borders’ Girls Programme, to develop a new in-school module that opens up the conversation with girls and non-binary young people about their relationships with their bodies while supporting them to be more aware, confident, and active.

As an ambassador for the campaign, Lewis hopes to be one of these inspiring voices igniting positive change — one that normalises what real skin in sport looks like both on and off the pitch. "I feel at home in my own skin, and I accept my blemishes and scars," she says. "They reflect the journey I've been through, and they remind me of how far I've come."